Dishwashing machine



Aug. 22, 1933. E, STODDARD 1,923,401

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed March 7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 V jnUefiTF r: lid gar 6 Stoddard Aug. 22,1933. s. STODDARD 1,923,401

DISHWASHING MACHINE I Filed March '7, 1930 :s sneets-sneet 2 lrwer 1,1107" Aug; 22, 9 E. s. STODDARD 1,923,401

DISHWASHING M CHINE Filed March 7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 v ITLUeTUZf-r" Edgar Stoddard Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITE.) STATES DI SHWASHING MACHINE Edgar s. Stoddard, Berwyn, m, assignor to The Conover Company, Chicago, 111., a Corporation of Illinois Application March 7, 1930. Serial No. 433,855

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in washing machines. It particularly relates to rack arrangements which are adapted to holdpots and pans within the washing chamber of a dish-washing machine.

In most dishwashing machines there is no provision made for washing pots and pans. Since the cleansing and scouring of the pots and pans often involves a material amount of labor in the kitchen, it is desirable that some means be supplied which may be utilized in connection with the washing machine to cleanse such pots and pans.

An object of this invention is to provide a device adapted to be utilized inconnection with dishwashing machines, especially of the sprayprojector type, which may be placed within the washing chamber of a dishwashing machine and may be utilized in connection with the cleansing of pots and pans.

Other objects will appear duringthe course of the following specification.

Although the improved rack construction of the present invention is designed to be utilized in connection with all dishwashing machines, it is especially designed to be utilized in connection with the centrifugal spray-projector type of washing machines, which are more fully described in the copending applications, Serial No. 193,414 filed May 23, 1927, and Serial No. 262,652 filed March 19, 1928, and in Pat. No. 1,679,465, granted August I, 1928.

The functioning of this type of machine depends upon the operation of a small unencased partially immersed impeller, with curved blades, which impeller rotates at a high. velocity of the order of 1,000 to 2,000 RPM. in the lower part of the tank of the machine. As it turns, the impeller elevates the liquid from its lower immer'sed curved surfaces to its upper concavoprojectors which spray-project the cleansing liq- 'uid directly upon, or into, the objects to be cleansed, the maximum cleansing effect being accomplished at an angle varying between 10v to 50 to the horizontal depending upon the size and shape of the impeller. The utensils and other objectsto be cleansed are kept out 'of contact with the'body of liquid contained in the bottom of the tank, and the cleansing is solely due to contact with the projected spray of liquid.

The following drawings illustrate one embodi- Q ment of the invention as applied to the centrifugal spray-projector type pf dishwashing machines, to which the invention is by no means restricted.

Fig. 1 isa side sectional view of the dishwashing machine with the pot rack in position;

' Fig. 2 is a top view of the pot rack removed so from the machine; and I 1 Figs. 3 and 4 are side sectional views upon lines 33 and 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 the washing chamber of the machine is formed by the tank 11 which is provided with '65 a downwardly pointing frusto conical bottom 12 to the lower open portion of which is attached a well 13. The well 13 is divided into two chambers, an upper chamber 1e and a lower chamber 15. The upper chamber 14 is posi- 7o tioned below the lowest point in the tank and is connected to a gauge 16 which is adapted to indicate the-liquid level during the washing and rinsing operations. In the lower chamber 15 there is positioned a centrifugal pump 17 which is adapted to exhaust the waste liquids after the washingfl and rinsing operations. The centrifugal pump" is adapted to eject water through the outlet conduit 18 through an 'opening (not shown) communicating with the pump chamber, the adjustable swinging tubular arm 19, and the rotatable funnel 20. The incoming liquids pass through the funnel 20, the tubular swinging arm 19, the valve 21, and the inlet 22 into the tank 11. In the lower central portion of 'the tank is positioned a water propelling member 23 which consists of a series of curved surfaces attached to the outside of an apron shell 24. To the lower portion of the apron 24 is attached the centrifugal device 17. The water propelling device is driven by the inferiorly positioned motor 30. The tank is provided with a cover 34.

5 The rack construction of the present invention is adapted to hold four pots or pans oi! average size 'above the water level and to the outside of the washing chamber .facing down-- wardly at such an angle that the projected spray will efiectually cleanse all the interior surfaces thereof. Although the present rack is designed to hold four pots and pans, a larger number or a smaller number of such utensils may be positioned within the washing chamber of the .machine by slight variations in the construction. It will be noted in the arrangement shown (see Fig. 4) that the inner basin portions of thepots and pans are principally subjected to the direct action of the cleansing spray while the bottoms and outsides of the utensils are uid. The handles of the utensils are positioned so that they will project inwardly and upwardly and not interfere with the washing operation.

The rack construction is as much simplified as possible. Many of the wires are continuous and extend through the entire rack structure. The wires are so shaped that the rack may be readily assembled. The rack structure includes the outer upper and lower concentric circular wires 50 and 51 and the centrally located foursided polygon-shaped wire 52. If the construction is modified so that it provides for more than four compartments the wire 52 will have a correspondingly increased number of sides. The wires 50, 51 and 52 are all centered on the axis of the machine and are horizontally positioned. The transverse supports for the pans are formed by the wire systems 53 and 54 centered on the axis of the rack. In the construction shown the wires 53 and 54 are provided with sloping and vertical portions for each compartment, the sloping portions being adapted to extend from the top of one vertical portion to the bottom of the next and are desi ned to support the pans in proper relation to cleansing spray. The wire systems 53 and 54 are attached to the radial supporting system 65, which latter system is provided with extensions forming the legs of the rack. The partitions between the different compartments are provided by the continuous wire system 80 centered on the axis of the rack which has the function of tying together and supporting all the component wire elements of the rack, and comprises a series of outwardly extending wires joining the outer ring to the corners of the polygon-shaped wire.

Theouter upper concentric circular wire is attached to the upper and outer portions of the partitioning wire system 80 between the different compartments and serves both to strengthen the rack and to determine the position of the outer edge of .the pot or pan. The lower concentric circular wire 51. is placed adjacent the bottom of the rack and acts to strengthen the same. It is welded, soldered or otherwise attached to the legs a short distance above their terminating point. The inner wire 52 is positioned adjacent the top of the rack and. is adapted to be positioned directly above the impeller when the rack is placed in the machine. To it are attached the partitioning wire system 80 and the radial supporting systems.

The transverse supports for the pans are formed by-the continuous inner wire systems 53 and the outer wire systems 54. These systems extend through all the compartments of the racks and the similarly positioned and shaped component portions in each system are parallel to each other. In top view these wires are square and are centered on the axis of the rack. As stated before these wires are composed of the substantially vertical portions 57 and 58 and of the sloping portions 55 and 56 respectively. The portions 57 and 58 may also be inclined so that they will be substantially perpendicular to the sloping wires 55 and 56 and more closely support the sides of the pot or pan (see Fig. 4). The sloping portions 55 and 56 are shown at about an angle of 30 to 40 to the horizontal, but

this angle will vary with a variation in the angle of maximum distribution. These wires are attached to the partitioning system 80 and to the radial systems 65. The outside sloping portions 56 are lower than the inside sloping portions 55 pendicular to the portions 66 and 67 and more closely support the side of the pot or pan. As

so that the pots and pans will be tilted upwardly toward the center of the rack.

The radial supports and legs are formed by the continuous wire systems 65, there being one system for each compartment. These radial supports are composed-0f two sloping portions 66 and 67 which are connected to the transverse sloping portions 55 and 56 of the wires 53 and 54. The portions 66 and 67 are caused to slope downwardly away from the center of the rack. As a result the bottom of the compartments formed by the crossed sloping portions 55, 56, 66 and'6'7 will slope downwardly in the direction of rotation and to the outside of the rack. The inner sides of the portions'66 and 67 continue into the bent portions '72 and 73 which coalesce and. at the point of coalescence are welded or soldered to the central wire 52. Outwardly the portions 66 and 6'7 continue into the upwardly bent portions 68 and 69 which loop over portions of the partitioning wire system 80 and continue in the wires '10 and '71 which come together and coalesce to form symmetrically positioned legs. The portions 68 and 69 may be vertical or they may be inclined so as to be substantially perstated before, these legs are attached to the strengthening concentric wire 51. The legs 70-71are shown inclined inwardly, but in many constructions it is desirable to have them extend vertically downwardly from the wires 84 upon which they are supported. The upwardly extending portions 68 and 69 of these radial wires form an outside support for the utensil to be cleansed. I

The partitioning wire system extends through the whole rack. This wire system consists of the straight partitioning portions 81, 82 and 83 and the curved and downwardly sloping connecting wires 84. The upper radial partitioning portions 81 extend from the outside of the rack where they are attached to the concentric wire 50 to the inside of the rack. To the portions 81 areattached the supporting systems 53-54. The, vertical portions 82 of the partitioning system loop within and are attached to the central square wire 52. The vertical portions 82 are of such a height that the point of junction of the wires 81 and 82 will be in the plane of the wires 555666-67 in the next compartment in the direction of rotation. The lower radial portions 83 extend from the central square wire 52 to the outside of the rack and are attached intermediately to the vertical portions 57 and 58 of the transverse support system. Continuous with the outside ends of the portions 81 and 83 are the arcuate sloping portions 84 which connect'the different compartment structures and also serve to position and support the radial wire systems 65. The inside ends of the radial portions 81 and 83 are connected together by the vertical portion 82. It will be noted (see Fig. 4) that the outside wall of the pot or other utensil will be supported by the upwardly extending portions 68 and 69 of the radial wire system 65 and by the vertical portions 5'? and .58 of the transverse wire systems 53 and 54. The edges of the downwardly faced basin portion will be supported on the downwardly and outwardly sloping network formed by the crossing portions 55-'56666'7. The handles of the utensils will project cen- L 'trally and upwardly between the vertical pormanner.

tions 82 and above theside of the central square 52. The upwardly facing bottom of the utensil will also be sloped so as to drain readily. The wire systems 53, 54, 65 and 80 are shown as being continuous through the various compartments of the rack for convenience in construction. If desirable, however, the structure may be modified by making the various component portions of these systems of separate pieces and arranging them in such a manner as to obtain an equivalent supporting framework for the pan or pot. The number of wire systems may be increased,'if desired, or an additional number of separate wires may be inserted in the compartments for the purpose of enabling the compartments to receive and support smaller utensils and preventing such smaller utensils from falling through the rack.

In the embodiment shown, the various shallow segmental compartments are symmetrically positioned and of the same size and shape. If

desired, however, the various compartments may be of different shapesand designed for difierent specific types of utensils.

The rack structure is utilized in the following The usual dishracks are removed from the machine and the pot rack is placed in position as indicated in Fig. 1. In some cases the upper dish rack is also placed in the machine to prevent the pans from upsetting during the cleansing and rinsing operations (see Fig. 1). The pans are placed with the hollow or inside faces downward and with the handles toward the center of the machine as indicated in Fig. 4. The pan covers may be placed around the outside between the pans-and the outer ring 50 of the rack. Any rectangular pan should be laid with the long side near the outside of the tank. The washing. chamber of the machine is then closed'by placing the lid 34 in the position shown in Fig.1. Three tablespoonfuls of a soluble alkaline water softener are put in the funnel 20 at the end of the swinging arm 19 or directly into the tank and the proper amount of hot water is run into the machine from the faucet of a domestic sink. When the proper amount of liquid has been run into the machine, this will be indicated by the gauge in the column 16. After the proper amount of liquid has been added to the machine, the motor is started and the pans are allowed to wash from five to seven minutes. At the-end of this period the funnel 20 and the swinging arm 19 are turned downwardly and the drain line is opened with the motor 30 running. discharge the waste wash liquid from the machine. The drain line is then closed, the motor 30 may be stopped or left in operation, the funnel 20 is turned upwardly and hot rinse water is run thereinto until the gauge shows that the proper amount of liquid has been received. In connection with this rinse, it may be desirable to add a cup of vinegar in the funnel of the swinging arm after the machine is charged with water. cially advisable when glass baking dishes or aluminum pans are being washed. In the case This variation is esp -motor running. If vinegar has been used in the washing step, the machine and rack with its contents should be rinsed a second time with clear hot water; otherwise a second rinse may be omitted, although it is desirable. After the final rinse, the cover of the machine is lifted and the rack with pans is left in place to dry or may be removed from the machine and positioned in the cover 34' or elsewhere to dry.

I claim:

1. A pot and pan rack provided with a series of compartments and composed of a series of continuous wire systems comprising an inner and several outer coaxial rings, each ring lying in a horizontal plane, a partitioning wire system extending through the entire rack structure and forming the side walls of the compartments, a

number of centered transverse wire systems extending through the entire rack and composed of successive vertical and transverse sloping portions, corresponding portions of each of said transverse wire systems being parallel to one another, and a series of downwardly and outwardly sloping radial wire systems, one in' each compartment, provided with extensions forming supporting legs, all of said systems being rigidly attached to one another.

2. In the rack of claim 1, the transverse wire systems being coaxial with said rings and spaced from each other and from the inner and outer boundaries of the rack and composed of sloping and substantially vertical portions, the sloping portions extending transversely across the compartments and forming the bottoms thereof and the substantially vertical portions forming part of the side walls thereof.

3. In the rack of claim 1, the radial wire systems each comprising spaced parallel downwardly and outwardly sloping substantially radial portions forming the bottoms of the compartrnents, the inner ends of the parallel portions being connected by upwardly turned portions which join each other and the outer ends being continued in upwardly turned portions forming the outer walls of the compartments which are in turn continued in downwardly extending portions inwardly inclined toward one another until they join, forming the supporting legs.

4. A circular wire pot and pan rack for dishwashing machines comprising a series of shallow radial compartments having downwardly and outwardly sloping bottoms formed by a mesh of radial and transverse wires, vertical substantially radial sides formed by a series of radial and vertical wires and the outer arcuate walls. 

